Share this:

Alma Mater is a series that celebrates the universities of the United States through poetry. Kirkus Reviews has described the series as “A thoroughly unique project” with “A variety of delightfully unexpected poetic forms.” I see it as a project that reaches out to millions. Whether college alums, current undergrads, or those who seek to learn more about the country itself or maybe just have a love for poetry. I believe this series has the makings to cross boundaries and go beyond just the genre of poetry.

This series is more than about celebrating life in each of the featured institution. It is about celebrating life itself. Each university covered is but a snapshot of the bigger picture: The capture and embrace of youth, education, beauty, love, and what indeed, what makes each geographic location and specific university special. This is not just a book for college students, and it’s not even just a book for poetry lovers, it is a book for anyone who wants to explore through the eyes of someone else. To see what they see. To live what they live, and to learn more about the human experience as undergone by others around the world.

The final volume of Alma Mater is AVAILABLE NOW! Inside you will find a massive collection of 100 poems celebrating the best universities in the southland. You can preview and purchase Alma Mater Vol. 4 below:

You can also find the link to the entire four-volume collection below as well:

Lastly, be sure to follow ClydeAidoo.com to read many pieces from the Alma Mater series shared right here on the website!

INTRO:
***
On March 3, 2018, I will release The Best of Alma Mater, and I will need some help in selecting the crème de la crème. The best way you can assist in doing so would be to purchase each of the four Alma Mater volumes – Midwest, Northeast, West, and South, each docked at $0.99 and free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. Because the more pieces from the series you read, the more qualified you are to state whether or not a piece belongs in the “Best of.”

There were a total of 400 poems in the Alma Mater series, 100 from each volume: The Midwest, Northeast, West, and South. As it is now, the list sits at roughly 120 poems that will appear in the “Best of.” Ideally, I would like to cut it down to 100. So feel free to provide feedback either in the comments or, preferably, through my contact link, to let me know why a piece should be left out….or if you think a piece is a must-add, those comments are especially welcome. For the sake of selecting the best piece possible for this collection, if there is any piece that you feel could be omitted, please do not be afraid to add your feedback and it will be considered constructive criticism for the betterment of the piece. I am trying to put together the best representation of the series possible, so I do not mind being told that I could do without a piece either here in the comments through in the “Contact Author” page. So let your voices!
***

*Michigan State*

MSU entrants travel cross-country across the Red Cedar River of East Lansing to reach the epitome of the college experience.
They are greeted by abundant trees, winding roads, and gothic architecture beyond the forested corridors. At the intersection of Chestnut and Kalamazoo, south of the Cedar River, they meet
The Spartan.
It is at this junction when entrants, guests, and intruders alike realize that
This is the Spartan State—Not Wolverine Country.
Prowlers will not prance. Only
Real Spartans Advance.Transforming Lives by Advancing Knowledge.
We preserve energy for essential encounters and destroy the hazardous pollution of reservation to defend this land.
Proceed, new entrants to maintain this Environment! But first you must say then you will live these magic words:
Go Green.

Spartans, Stand Strong
on this land your ancestors built.
This pioneer land grants students with the exploration of nuclear physics, osteopathic medicine, industrial and organizational psychology, and we continue forward in our advancement of knowledge by placing only the nation’s best new teachers in the elementary and secondary classrooms. We rehabilitate distressed minds that have lost their ways so that they, too, can advance to their goals. Say it Loud:

We Are Spartans!

Led by Sparty we fill the Spartan Stadium with Spartan Pride—
You are now surrounded by the Spartan Army.
In Breslin, where the winner is determined by determination,
You will know the Spartan Will.

There is magic in this storied center. With a rich basketball tradition, we have hoisted 13 Big Ten championships and two national championships.
We tried to send out a raven to tell the world of our conquers,
but
Our Magic killed The Bird.

Fear the Spartans.

Take heed of the army going down the downtown strip.
This is a Greek community of over 50 organizations.
We started as the 300,
now over
3,000 in this Greek Nation…

And that still leaves over 40,000 thirsty Spartans ready to fill their cups.

Our Spartans spread out across the globe in their pursuits of educational dominance more than any institution in this nation. We also fight from home to keep the peace abroad. We’ve fought against South African apartheid and for worldwide freedom
While defending the political advancement of this great country.

We believe change starts here in this miraculous institution.
And for it to vend we must upend the machine.

And we vow not to stop at the pages of the Red Cedar Log. No, our journey is just beginning.
Young warriors, when you surmount your beloved institution, and graduate to the vast, intimidating world at your feet:
Do not let this pain nor this end slow you down…
Spartans, Go Forth.

Below, you can find the link to the entire four-volume collection And while you wait, go ahead and keep up with the poems in Alma Mater Vol. 1 The Midwest, and predict which poem you think will be nominated next after today’s nominee: Eastern Michigan University!

INTRO:
***
On March 3, 2018, I will release The Best of Alma Mater, and I will need some help in selecting the crème de la crème. The best way you can assist in doing so would be to purchase each of the four Alma Mater volumes – Midwest, Northeast, West, and South, each docked at $0.99 and free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. Because the more pieces from the series you read, the more qualified you are to state whether or not a piece belongs in the “Best of.”

There were a total of 400 poems in the Alma Mater series, 100 from each volume: The Midwest, Northeast, West, and South. As it is now, the list sits at roughly 120 poems that will appear in the “Best of.” Ideally, I would like to cut it down to 100. So feel free to provide feedback either in the comments or, preferably, through my contact link, to let me know why a piece should be left out….or if you think a piece is a must-add, those comments are especially welcome. For the sake of selecting the best piece possible for this collection, if there is any piece that you feel could be omitted, please do not be afraid to add your feedback and it will be considered constructive criticism for the betterment of the piece. I am trying to put together the best representation of the series possible, so I do not mind being told that I could do without a piece either here in the comments through in the “Contact Author” page. So let your voices!
***

*Michigan State*

MSU entrants travel cross-country across the Red Cedar River of East Lansing to reach the epitome of the college experience.
They are greeted by abundant trees, winding roads, and gothic architecture beyond the forested corridors. At the intersection of Chestnut and Kalamazoo, south of the Cedar River, they meet
The Spartan.
It is at this junction when entrants, guests, and intruders alike realize that
This is the Spartan State—Not Wolverine Country.
Prowlers will not prance. Only
Real Spartans Advance.Transforming Lives by Advancing Knowledge.
We preserve energy for essential encounters and destroy the hazardous pollution of reservation to defend this land.
Proceed, new entrants to maintain this Environment! But first you must say then you will live these magic words:
Go Green.

Spartans, Stand Strong
on this land your ancestors built.
This pioneer land grants students with the exploration of nuclear physics, osteopathic medicine, industrial and organizational psychology, and we continue forward in our advancement of knowledge by placing only the nation’s best new teachers in the elementary and secondary classrooms. We rehabilitate distressed minds that have lost their ways so that they, too, can advance to their goals. Say it Loud:

We Are Spartans!

Led by Sparty we fill the Spartan Stadium with Spartan Pride—
You are now surrounded by the Spartan Army.
In Breslin, where the winner is determined by determination,
You will know the Spartan Will.

There is magic in this storied center. With a rich basketball tradition, we have hoisted 13 Big Ten championships and two national championships.
We tried to send out a raven to tell the world of our conquers,
but
Our Magic killed The Bird.

Fear the Spartans.

Take heed of the army going down the downtown strip.
This is a Greek community of over 50 organizations.
We started as the 300,
now over
3,000 in this Greek Nation…

And that still leaves over 40,000 thirsty Spartans ready to fill their cups.

Our Spartans spread out across the globe in their pursuits of educational dominance more than any institution in this nation. We also fight from home to keep the peace abroad. We’ve fought against South African apartheid and for worldwide freedom
While defending the political advancement of this great country.

We believe change starts here in this miraculous institution.
And for it to vend we must upend the machine.

And we vow not to stop at the pages of the Red Cedar Log. No, our journey is just beginning.
Young warriors, when you surmount your beloved institution, and graduate to the vast, intimidating world at your feet:
Do not let this pain nor this end slow you down…
Spartans, Go Forth.

Below, you can find the link to the entire four-volume collection And while you wait, go ahead and keep up with the poems in Alma Mater Vol. 1 The Midwest, and predict which poem you think will be nominated next after today’s nominee: Eastern Michigan University!

INTRO:
***
On March 3, 2018, I will release The Best of Alma Mater, and I will need some help in selecting the crème de la crème. The best way you can assist in doing so would be to purchase each of the four Alma Mater volumes – Midwest, Northeast, West, and South, each docked at $0.99 and free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. Because the more pieces from the series you read, the more qualified you are to state whether or not a piece belongs in the “Best of.”

There were a total of 400 poems in the Alma Mater series, 100 from each volume: The Midwest, Northeast, West, and South. As it is now, the list sits at roughly 120 poems that will appear in the “Best of.” Ideally, I would like to cut it down to 100. So feel free to provide feedback either in the comments or, preferably, through my contact link, to let me know why a piece should be left out….or if you think a piece is a must-add, those comments are especially welcome. For the sake of selecting the best piece possible for this collection, if there is any piece that you feel could be omitted, please do not be afraid to add your feedback and it will be considered constructive criticism for the betterment of the piece. I am trying to put together the best representation of the series possible, so I do not mind being told that I could do without a piece either here in the comments through in the “Contact Author” page. So let your voices!
***

Hear that call? That’s the Eastern Echo:
Here we go—
Here we go again.
Do you hear that call? That’s the Eagle Echo:
I said
Here we go—
Here we go again.

Eastern Eagles grew again,
New Eagles—
Movin’ in,
Move-in Magic—
Make a friend,
Share Fajitas, then—blend on in.
Make a splash like our swimming team—
In Olds-Robb in a
Stream of Green.
Stay on the green like cash machines,
We stay high on green—
Green Fiends.

Green & White is our way of life
And this Green & White
Is our way to life,
If we told you once, we told you twice:
An Eagle echoes:
His whole life.
Swoop Down, Eastern, and
Shake the Ground;
We kept the Huron strength—
Now let it sound.
If we told you once, we told you twice,
An Eagle’s Echo lasts
His whole life.

Below, you can find the link to the entire four-volume collection And while you wait, go ahead and keep up with the poems in Alma Mater Vol. 1 The Midwest, and predict which poem you think will be nominated next after today’s nominee: Eastern Michigan University!

INTRO:
***
On March 3, 2018, I will release The Best of Alma Mater, and I will need some help in selecting the crème de la crème. The best way you can assist in doing so would be to purchase each of the four Alma Mater volumes – Midwest, Northeast, West, and South, each docked at $0.99 and free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. Because the more pieces from the series you read, the more qualified you are to state whether or not a piece belongs in the “Best of.”

There were a total of 400 poems in the Alma Mater series, 100 from each volume: The Midwest, Northeast, West, and South. As it is now, the list sits at roughly 120 poems that will appear in the “Best of.” Ideally, I would like to cut it down to 100. So feel free to provide feedback either in the comments or, preferably, through my contact link, to let me know why a piece should be left out….or if you think a piece is a must-add, those comments are especially welcome. For the sake of selecting the best piece possible for this collection, if there is any piece that you feel could be omitted, please do not be afraid to add your feedback and it will be considered constructive criticism for the betterment of the piece. I am trying to put together the best representation of the series possible, so I do not mind being told that I could do without a piece either here in the comments through in the “Contact Author” page. So let your voices!
***

*Eastern Michigan University*

SWOOP DOWN!

SWOOP DOWN!

SWOOP DOWN!

SWOOP DOWN!

SWOOP DOWN!
And LAND! In the land of Green and White!
SWOOP DOWN!
You Eagles, and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!
SWOOP DOWN!
But don’t ever let your feet touch the ground!
SWOOP DOWN!
You’re flying with the Eastern Eagles Now!

Hear that call? That’s the Eastern Echo:
Here we go—
Here we go again.
Do you hear that call? That’s the Eagle Echo:
I said
Here we go—
Here we go again.

Eastern Eagles grew again,
New Eagles—
Movin’ in,
Move-in Magic—
Make a friend,
Share Fajitas, then—blend on in.
Make a splash like our swimming team—
In Olds-Robb in a
Stream of Green.
Stay on the green like cash machines,
We stay high on green—
Green Fiends.

Green & White is our way of life
And this Green & White
Is our way to life,
If we told you once, we told you twice:
An Eagle echoes:
His whole life.
Swoop Down, Eastern, and
Shake the Ground;
We kept the Huron strength—
Now let it sound.
If we told you once, we told you twice,
An Eagle’s Echo lasts
His whole life.

Below, you can find the link to the entire four-volume collection And while you wait, go ahead and keep up with the poems in Alma Mater Vol. 1 The Midwest, and predict which poem you think will be nominated next after today’s nominee: Eastern Michigan University!

Nominee #1: University of Chicago: https://clydeaidoo.com/2017/06/11/boam-nominee-1-uchicago-2/
INTRO:
***
On March 3, 2018, I will release The Best of Alma Mater, and I will need some help in selecting the crème de la crème. The best way you can assist in doing so would be to purchase each of the four Alma Mater volumes – Midwest, Northeast, West, and South, each docked at $0.99 and free for Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. Because the more pieces from the series you read, the more qualified you are to state whether or not a piece belongs in the “Best of.”

There were a total of 400 poems in the Alma Mater series, 100 from each volume: The Midwest, Northeast, West, and South. As it is now, the list sits at roughly 120 poems that will appear in the “Best of.” Ideally, I would like to cut it down to 100. So feel free to provide feedback either in the comments or, preferably, through my contact link, to let me know why a piece should be left out….or if you think a piece is a must-add, those comments are especially welcome. For the sake of selecting the best piece possible for this collection, if there is any piece that you feel could be omitted, please do not be afraid to add your feedback and it will be considered constructive criticism for the betterment of the piece. I am trying to put together the best representation of the series possible, so I do not mind being told that I could do without a piece either here in the comments through in the “Contact Author” page. On the flip side, when I say a piece is currently not planned to be included, also feel free to tell me that I’m crazy and that it’s a must include.
***

*Michigan Tech*

My, what lakes the mind can surf
With all the discoveries
We find;
At Michigan Tech, we inspect global turf,
The Land of Opportunity:
We mine.
We build ice sculptures from creative fires—
Husky Fires
Glow in the snow,
The Houghton icescape is
The Great Escape,
A Winter Carnival
The Huskies know.
This is a safe haven for a Parade of Nations
Waving their heritage with gold salutations;
K-Day, Hockey, Skating, and Love, are some of
Houghton’s oldest celebrations.
Celebrate your curiosity,
Celebrate yourself,
Celebrate the purity of Michigan
Itself,
Drink another beer, then down another seven,
Drink while you can,
There’s no Beers in Heaven.
Here’s to Engineers
Who will lead the recovery
of
The Land of Opportunity
for
Generations of Discovery.

Below, you can find the link to the entire four-volume collection And while you wait, go ahead and keep up with the poems in Alma Mater Vol. 1 The Midwest, and predict which poem you think will be nominated next after today’s nominee: Kansas State University